Nothing says 'thank you' for 9/11 role like a box of Thin Mints | VIDEO

Local Girl Scouts salute firefighters with cookies as part of Operation Thin Mint.

DENNY SIMMONS / Courier & Press

KYLE GRANTHAM / Courier & Press
Members of Girl Scout Daisy Troop 132 pass out Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies and thank you cards at Scott Township Fire Station One on Wednesday. The Girl Scout troop honored first responders on Wednesday in observance of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The Evansville Courier & Press - 2010 Kyle R Grantham - 2010

KYLE GRANTHAM / Courier & Press
Mark Fritz, left, laughs as he receives Thin Mint Girl Scouts cookies and thank you cards from Daisy Troop 132 at Scott Township Fire Station One on Wednesday. The Girl Scout troop honored first responders on Wednesday in observance of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The Evansville Courier & Press - 2010 Kyle R Grantham - 2010

KYLE GRANTHAM / Courier & Press
Mark Fritz tops off a full set of fireman's gear on his daughter, Sydney Fritz, 6, at the Scott Township Fire Station on Wednesday afternoon. Sydney and her Girl Scouts Daisy Troop 132, visited her dad's fire station to honor first responders in observance of the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. All the girls had an opportunity to try on fire gear, but Sydney made her dad stop as he put the helmet on her. She didn't want him to ruin her bows.

The Evansville Courier & Press - 2010 Kyle R Grantham - 2010

From left to right, Ashlyn Welte, 6, Bryson Chapman, 3, his sister Adyson Chapman, 7, Caitlyn Steckler, 7, and Lyllee Bryant, 6, ride in the back of one of Scott Township's firetrucks after delivering Thin Mint Girl Scouts cookies to firefighters. The girls clamored for Lt. Derek Rollins, who was driving the truck, to turn on the siren. A few hundred yards from the station he did, bringing cheers from the girls.

Members of Daisy Troop 132 visited the firefighters in honor of Operation Thin Mint, which is how Girl Scouts of Southwest Indiana (GSSI) are commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the bravery of first responders.

The Raintree Council made a special purchase of 15 cases of cookies per service unit for the project. Each case holds 12 boxes of Thin Mints.

GSSI invited troops in the area to volunteer to deliver cases of cookies to area first responders during the week of 9/11. These groups include military organizations, firefighters, police stations, hospitals, and anyone who helped serve during 9/11.

The Girl Scouts decorated cookie boxes and made thank you cards to the responders who help communities everyday through their job.

"I think its great," April Fritz, Daisy Troop 132 leader, said. "I'm around this stuff a lot because my husband is a firefighter, and they don't get a lot of praise they deserve. With Operation Thin Mint, the Girl Scouts get to say 'thank you' without anything in return."

Fritz added it's a way for the girls to see what these men and women do everyday to help the community.

"We're excited to participate in Operation Thin Mint," Jill Steckler, another Daisy Troop 132 leader, said. "The girls weren't even born when 9/11 happened, so this is a neat way for them to begin to understand and be a part of it."

After shouting "Thank you!" to the firefighters for all their daily work and leaping forward to give them cookies and cards, the girls were able to tour the fire station and take a ride on a firetruck.

Caitlyn Steckler, 7, is a Troop 132 member that was all smiles about getting to ride the firetruck.

"It's fun to ride in the trucks," she exclaimed. She said she likes firefighters because they help people when they have fires.

Having a firefighter as a dad means you know your way around the station. However, Sydney Fritz, 6, was still eagerly scrambling into the firetruck for a ride.

"They're fun," she smiled and said. "And we get to see Sparky the Fire Dog!"

Lt. Derek Rollins, who has been with Scott Township for six years, enjoys having visitors at work.

"Sure, we're always glad to have visitors to the firehouse," he said. "It's good to have members of the community come in so we can show them what we do everyday."

Despite all the fun at the firehouse, Fritz said they talked to the girls about 9/11 because it's the main reason they were visiting the station. When members of the Scout troop get older, they will go more in depth about what happened on that day, 10 years ago.

Lt. Rollins got quiet as he recalled Sept. 11, 2001, and said the firefighters always pay respects to those fallen men and women.

"It's something you never forget because it hits home for everyone," he said. "It's a dangerous job we do. And we just do our job day-in-and-day-out in respect to the fallen."

Before leaving, Fritz asked her troop if they had any questions for the firefighters. After a long pause, someone yelled, "Can we ride in the ambulance?"